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Owly
Curious Owly is encouraged by his wise mother to find out the answers to his questions about the world for himself
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
4 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Mike Thaler
286 books117 followersMike Thaler, born in Los Angeles, started his professional career drawing cartoons for adults. A children's book editor saw one of his cartoon stories in a national magazine and encouraged Mike to try writing for children. His first attempt met with success, and "The Magic Boy" was published in 1961.
Mike has produced over 220 published books and is known as “America’s Riddle King.” He has also been called “The Court Jester of Children’s Literature.”
Mike Thaler lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Patty. He gladly welcomes all invitations to do church and school programs, and other book events.
Mike travels each year throughout the world helping children and teachers create their own stories, riddles, and books. He writes and teaches with creativity, inspiring his audiences with a love of language.
--from the author's website
Mike has produced over 220 published books and is known as “America’s Riddle King.” He has also been called “The Court Jester of Children’s Literature.”
Mike Thaler lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Patty. He gladly welcomes all invitations to do church and school programs, and other book events.
Mike travels each year throughout the world helping children and teachers create their own stories, riddles, and books. He writes and teaches with creativity, inspiring his audiences with a love of language.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 10, 2020
My mom has a thing for owls
So, when she found a book about owls at the local library, she checked it out and we read it together over and over...and over...and over. (What can I say, I like what I like).
So, my mom bought me my very own copy back in '98 and I enjoyed having it on my shelf ever since. This is officially, my longest-running fave book.
Rereading it as an adult, I do see why I latched on to it so tightly as a kid.
The storyline is simple, repetitive but the message it sends - that a parent's love is uncountable and unfathomable - is truly one to remember.
I keep this one on my main shelf - nestled next to my childhood fave (Harry Potter) and my teen fave (Twilight). Some books are truly ones to remember.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
So, when she found a book about owls at the local library, she checked it out and we read it together over and over...and over...and over. (What can I say, I like what I like).
So, my mom bought me my very own copy back in '98 and I enjoyed having it on my shelf ever since. This is officially, my longest-running fave book.
Rereading it as an adult, I do see why I latched on to it so tightly as a kid.
The storyline is simple, repetitive but the message it sends - that a parent's love is uncountable and unfathomable - is truly one to remember.
I keep this one on my main shelf - nestled next to my childhood fave (Harry Potter) and my teen fave (Twilight). Some books are truly ones to remember.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
August 9, 2009
This book is adorable. I think it predates Guess How Much I Love You and I prefer it over that one. Baby Owl is curious and asks lots of questions like "How many stars are there?" and "How far is the sky?" which seem like questions most little kids would ask. His mother's answer is "go look" and he finds it's a much harder question than he anticipated. I found it charming and beautiful without being overly commercialized like Guess How Much I Love You.
December 28, 2022
Super cute. And sweet. 🥰
August 3, 2020
A sweet classic, looks to be suitable for those reading the high end of 'leveled readers' as well as lapsit and small groups. I love that the mom encourages the child to investigate to find the answers to his own questions (STEM alert!).
October 10, 2016
I have a new appreciation for the genre of literature known as "predictable texts."
August 8, 2022
With some gentle coaching from his mother, Owly explores the world around him, and discovers that love is as high as the sky, and deep as the ocean.
Illustrations by David Wiesner.
A sweet, lovely story that could easily be read nightly.
Illustrations by David Wiesner.
A sweet, lovely story that could easily be read nightly.
February 11, 2014
Owly
In this picture book, there is a warm story about the owly and his mother. The small owly always likes to ask question to his mother. Maybe he is a questioning owly. He has many questions in his mind. One day, he asked his mother ‘’How many stars are in the sky?’’, and his mother told him to count it by himself. After he counted the stars in the sky, he told to his mother, the stars are more than he could count. The next night, the small owly asked his mother about another question ‘’How high is the sky?’’, and his mother told him to go and see. The answer is the sky is higher than the small owly could fly. In the next night, the owly asked his mother ‘’ How many waves are in the ocean?’’, and his mother told him to go and count. Over a night, the small owly had a answer. The waves in the ocean more than he could count. After several times of hands-on tests, he feeling about much more stars, so high the sky is and too much waves. When he asked his mother about how deep the ocean is, his mother told him the sky is as deep as the sky is high. When he asked his mother about how much the love is. His mother told him she loves him as much as the sky is high.
This is a good example of how to educate child by mother and teacher. To be a good parents, we need to let our children to do the things by themselves and let them know how difficult the things are.
This is a good books for children to read.
In this picture book, there is a warm story about the owly and his mother. The small owly always likes to ask question to his mother. Maybe he is a questioning owly. He has many questions in his mind. One day, he asked his mother ‘’How many stars are in the sky?’’, and his mother told him to count it by himself. After he counted the stars in the sky, he told to his mother, the stars are more than he could count. The next night, the small owly asked his mother about another question ‘’How high is the sky?’’, and his mother told him to go and see. The answer is the sky is higher than the small owly could fly. In the next night, the owly asked his mother ‘’ How many waves are in the ocean?’’, and his mother told him to go and count. Over a night, the small owly had a answer. The waves in the ocean more than he could count. After several times of hands-on tests, he feeling about much more stars, so high the sky is and too much waves. When he asked his mother about how deep the ocean is, his mother told him the sky is as deep as the sky is high. When he asked his mother about how much the love is. His mother told him she loves him as much as the sky is high.
This is a good example of how to educate child by mother and teacher. To be a good parents, we need to let our children to do the things by themselves and let them know how difficult the things are.
This is a good books for children to read.
June 30, 2010
This book still almost makes me cry. It's one my momma used to read to me all the time when I was a kid. It's about this little inquisitive owl that asks lots of questions and ends up counting lots of stuff. Then his momma tells him she loves him more than all that stuff he counted. Too cute!!
December 27, 2017
Such a cute little tale. One of my favorites! Lovely, sweet bedtime or anytime story about an inquisitive little owl and his patient, loving mama. Illustrations are gorgeous.
October 27, 2018
One of those books that seems to have been written for parents instead of children.
January 14, 2012
I had thought that I was requesting the graphic novel Owly by but apparently ordered this instead. Not a bad mistake- the story is very very sweet. It would make a nice bedtime read for young children since it's short and has a bit of a repetitive refrain. Given that the illustrations are by David Wiesner, they're rather unremarkable. The execution of technique is very nice and the soft almost cartoony characters that maintain a serious tenderness are nice. The design of the book is quite ho-hum- two page spreads with full bleeds on every page except the last. The perspectives shift around a lot and are rather innovative, but the emphasis here seems to be predominantly on the story, or perhaps, more importantly, on the interaction outside the story between adult and child as the owl mother's wing seems to reference the parent's arm which might be tucked around the listener.
February 22, 2012
My son has been interested in owls since he was 18 months old.
Really sweet book about a son's curiosity and his mother's gentle encouragement.
Really sweet book about a son's curiosity and his mother's gentle encouragement.
November 8, 2015
Perfect core phase book. This story is a good example of a healthy learning phase and close bond between mother and child.
October 21, 2017
How did this beautiful story not become a classic that’s as well known as Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny? I love it!
February 22, 2018
In the same vein as Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You.
May 25, 2018
One of my all time favorite cuddling books with my daughter. Reread it after many years...still brings me to tears.
April 19, 2019
So sweet and true!
July 8, 2020
Such a lesson for kiddos, and adults.
July 17, 2020
Sweet story!
October 12, 2021
Sweet mama and child story
January 24, 2022
Adorable cute. Very repetitive but so good. Good moral/lesson
July 15, 2022
A book I wanted my 8yo to read so that we could nod together about how much we love each other, but he's 8 and hates everything I hand him to read.
ANYWAY *I* thought it was ADORABLE. So there.
ANYWAY *I* thought it was ADORABLE. So there.
September 5, 2022
Owly is an owl who asks a lot of questions about the world around him.
This picture book shows a positive mother-son relationship.
This picture book shows a positive mother-son relationship.
Read
November 1, 2024This is one of my favorite childhood books.
June 13, 2018
Sweet story about an owl's explorations and family.
June 14, 2012
This is a sweet tale about the infinite wonder of nature and our love for one another. The baby owl is so curious and his mama allows him to explore on his own to find out the answers for himself. The repetitive narrative is likely to be soothing for young children. The story is quite similar to Guess How Much I Love You, but I think we all liked this one better.
I thought it was fascinating that David Wiesner is the illustrator. The illustrations are very nicely detailed, but they do not really resemble the kinds of pictures that are characteristic of his later books. We absolutely love Flotsam, but we've really like his other books, too. They are so wildly detailed and creative; this book is more classically simple and typical of a picture book for young children. I love getting to see some of his earlier work.
Overall, we thought this was a nice tale to read at bedtime and we enjoyed reading this book together. While preparing to review this book, we discovered a graphic novel series featuring another adorable cartoonish owl named Owly. Our oldest is so excited to read Owly, Vol. 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer next.
I thought it was fascinating that David Wiesner is the illustrator. The illustrations are very nicely detailed, but they do not really resemble the kinds of pictures that are characteristic of his later books. We absolutely love Flotsam, but we've really like his other books, too. They are so wildly detailed and creative; this book is more classically simple and typical of a picture book for young children. I love getting to see some of his earlier work.
Overall, we thought this was a nice tale to read at bedtime and we enjoyed reading this book together. While preparing to review this book, we discovered a graphic novel series featuring another adorable cartoonish owl named Owly. Our oldest is so excited to read Owly, Vol. 1: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer next.
September 9, 2010
I didn't have this one as a kid. I picked it up at a used bookstore because of the soft, subdued illustrations caught my eye and it seemed like a sweet story. It is sweet, and reading it with my son is enjoyable because of the pictures and the cadence of the story (great for bed time). The metaphors seem a bit of a stretch for little ones, but maybe it's laying groundwork for future understanding.
August 9, 2014
When my boys were little, this was my most favorite book that I would read to them at bedtime. Owly is about a young owl who keeps asking his mom questions that end up having way too many numbers for the little owl to count in a single night, such as "How many stars are in the sky?" Now that I have grandchildren, I get to enjoy reading the book all over again. I highly recommend it to everyone who reads to children.
November 5, 2014
Super cute! A very inquisitive little owl asks questions about everything. How many stars are in the sky? How many waves are on the ocean? Every time, his mother sends him out to find the answer himself. He finds that every number is too high for him to count. It all connects in the end when Owly asks his mother how many hugs she had left to give him--more than the number of waves in the ocean or stars in the sky.
Good for toddler or preschool storytimes.
Good for toddler or preschool storytimes.
March 25, 2021
As a child I did not like this book because of the "bland" pictures. Then, once I started reading, I enjoyed the story, but forgot what it was about because the pictures do not stand out in my mind. Reading it as an adult, it's one of my favorites. Owly is inquisitive and asks his mother questions, who encourages him to find out the answers himself and explore. There are very few words in the book but the story is powerful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews